How I Love My Motorcycle!

This is my trusty motorcycle! I've learned how to pile it up with lots of stuff and how to weave in and out of traffic so I can avoid the long waits at the stop lights. It saves me money on gas mileage and it is way cheaper than taking taxis everywhere. Now if I could just learn how to drive it better so I don't end up with black eyes like these. :) Thankfully the black eyes were the worst of it (and those gave me some brownie points with my high school students - especially the boys). All I have now are some small scars on my forehead, knee, and elbows. AND some good stories to tell.

Saying Goodbye

Today I had to do something that I really don't like doing. I had to say goodbye. Of course we told each other that we would see each other again, but life is unpredictable and who knows if we will get to meet up again this side of heaven. You would think that I would have learned how to say goodbye without pain by now, but I haven't and I'm quite convinced that if I ever do, it is a sure sign of unhealthiness. But I have learned somethings through those torturous partings.

Make sure you grieve your loss. Crying like you did when you were a kid and you lost your favorite toy or were hurt feels stupid because as an adult you "should be" braver, stronger, less vulnerable. But I really do think that it helps to cry to God saying, "I've lost an important part of my life and it really stinks and I don't like it."

Even while you are (sometimes forcefully) voicing your frustration and loss, you have to trust that God is good and has good things planned for you so that you will become more like His Son. Even though you don't feel like it, trust. Don't let resentment lead to bitterness (an easy thing to type here, but a moment-by-moment decision of the will).

And my last piece of advise is to continue on with life while still giving yourself room to grieve, cry, get mad, or whatever. By turning your focus away from you and to others around you, you will see that there are others in your life that are here now and you don't want to waste your time with them.

Those are my musings on this rainy evening (like most evenings here in Davao). Good-byes stink, but being free to express my feelings for good friends and hearing their love for me can't be entirely bad.

A Productive Day

I didn't get bored once today - a rare occurrence during the summer. This morning I worked on my curriculum guides for 3 classes - Physical Science, Geometry, and AP Calculus - and we finished them! Now Dave just has to look them over and hopefully they will be done!! Then this afternoon I worked on typing up my lesson plan notes for Physical Science and I finished Chapters 1 and 2. It feels good to accomplish something. Now it is time for bed and I'm looking forward to some good rest and enjoying the pitter-patter of the rain.

Yay for Summer!

It's summer! YAY!! It's nice to have lots of time to myself and to be the master of my day, but being alone most of the day kinda stinks. I'm trying to use my summer to accomplish all those things that I never seem to have time to do when school is in - like go to the dentist, catch up with friends, write curriculum, clean my house and my classroom, etc... So this is one of the things on my list - set up a place that I can use to stay in touch with friends and family. :) Hopefully it turns out that way!

So, I got to go on a boat trip TWO days in a row and it was a lot of fun. Of course I burnt myself trying to enjoy all the sun I could get, but it will eventually fade. I like boat trips cuz I get to get away from the city, go outdoors, and enjoy the beautiful tropical scenery around me. We even saw dolphins on Friday - how cool is that! God is good!